Optimizing surface band bending of anisotropic SrTiO3 with facet-selective TiO2 growth for enhanced charge separation

doi:10.1016/j.jmst.2025.10.031

Abstract

Abstract: Facet engineering is an efficient strategy to enhance the separation efficiency of photo-generated charges. However, the primary obstacle to facet-induced charge separation is the surface Schottky barrier, which inhibits the electrons transferring from the photocatalyst to the surface. In this study, a facet-dependent composite was developed by in-situ growth of TiO₂ nanoparticles on the (001) facet of anisotropic SrTiO₃ (STO). The photocatalytic performance of SrTiO₃-TiO₂ (denoted as STO-T) is enhanced by 4 times compared to pure SrTiO₃ (STO). This improvement is attributed to the reduced Schottky barrier on the (001) facets, which in turn boosts the carrier separation efficiency. Interestingly, the abundant heterogeneous interfaces are found to be the reductive sites rather than the surface of TiO₂ particles, which further proves the role of TiO₂ in regulating the surface band bending of SrTiO₃ rather than forming a heterojunction. This work provides new insights into the design of highly efficient photocatalysts via surface band bending.

Key words: Photocatalysis, SrTiO₃, Overall water splitting, Facet engineering, Surface band bending, Charge separation

Shuting Zhang, Na Li, Tingting Wu, Kaiwei Zhang, Junying Wang, Yifan Li, Yongqiang Yang, Lei Wang. Optimizing surface band bending of anisotropic SrTiO₃ with facet-selective TiO₂ growth for enhanced charge separation[J]. J. Mater. Sci. Technol., 2026, 261: 184-191.

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Optimizing surface band bending of anisotropic SrTiO₃ with facet-selective TiO₂ growth for enhanced charge separation

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